Indonesia beats Malaysia 6-0, crowns Group B

Indonesia beats Malaysia 6-0, crowns Group B

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia's soccer team tops the Group B
standings after the national team overwhelmed Malaysia 6-0 at the
Track and Field Stadium in the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports
Complex in the 20th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Brunei on
Monday.

With the result, Indonesia has collected seven goal points
from two matches, while second-place Singapore has two goals
after its first match. Indonesia beat Cambodia 1-0 in the first
match on Saturday, while Singapore won 2-1 against Malaysia.

In another Group B match on Monday, Brunei tied 3-3 with
Cambodia.

A free kick from midfielder Haryanto Prasetyo in the fifth
minute opened the scoring in Monday's game. Three minutes later,
Haryanto passed the ball to striker Rocky Puttiray, who quickly
headed it into the net for Indonesia's second goal.

In the second half, Indonesian coach Bernhard Schumm replaced
midfielder Aji Santoso, who injured his right hand, with Anang
Ma'ruf. Schumm also substituted Uston Nawawi for Haryanto, who
was injured in a clash with a Malaysian player.

Indonesia increased its offensive intensity in the second half
against Malaysia, which was forced to send players forward in an
attempt to get back in the match. Unfortunately for Malaysia,
this opened its defense up to the Indonesian strikers.

The youngest member of the Indonesian team, Bambang Pamungkas,
scored the third and fourth goals for Indonesia in the 49th and
the 57th minutes, thanks to beautiful feeds from Anang.

Veteran player Ali Sunan netted Indonesia's fifth goal in the
81st minute and Rocky capped off the Indonesian triumph with a
goal one minute later.

All-Indonesian Soccer Federation (PSSI) chairman Agum Gumelar
said he was satisfied with the team's performance and reiterated
his optimism that Indonesia could win the gold.

"I am very satisfied. The team had more confidence than in
their game against Cambodia," said the three-star general, who
watched Monday's match at the stadium.

Agum was quoted by Antara as saying the Indonesian soccer team
should not lose its concentration and remain focused on its
matches against Singapore on Aug. 6 and host Brunei on Aug. 9.

Denial

Separately, national striker Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto -- who was
dropped from the SEA Games team after testing positive for
amphetamines -- denied reports he used psychotropic substances to
stimulate his performance on the soccer field.

Kurniawan, who failed three drug tests conducted by the
National Sports Council (KONI) and the Jakarta Doping Laboratory,
claimed he had stopped using drugs and was now pursuing a career
as a professional player.

"I have stopped using drugs. I used to consume drugs, but I
think that's common for young people. I feel I am clean now, but
people are beginning to talk about my past and it stopped me from
competing in Brunei," he said.

He asked the public to continue supporting him and his soccer
career.

"With all of my heart, I frankly declare that I still need
everybody's support. I will return to the soccer field, compete,
score goals and win. I will never stop because soccer is my
world," he said.

The drug tests have sparked controversy. Kurniawan's lawyer
Gandjar L.B. Bondan regretted KONI's decision to drop Kurniawan
from the SEA Games squad, saying it would harm the 23-year-old
player psychologically.

"KONI did not take into account the last doping test (on July
29) which could have been used to enable him to join the SEA
Games team. Besides, Kurniawan was never asked to discuss the
results or given a chance to discuss the matter with KONI," he
said.

In a written statement, Kurniawan said he had consumed
traditional herbal medicines to treat muscle pain and a medicine
called Becomzet before the drug tests.

KONI's chief of the sports science commission, Dr. Carmen
Jahja, said someone physically manipulated Kurniawan's urine
sample from his last test in July 29.

"His urine was very clear, like water. He either drank a lot
in the last 24 hours or someone replaced his urine sample," she
said on Monday.

She suggested Kurniawan undergo rehabilitation for his drug
addiction. "Let's stop the controversy. It's much more important
to help him get over his addiction." (ivy)